The LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES 5ESS switch is one of the most frequently installed digital telecommunications switches in the world, with over 100,000,000 lines operational in the U.S. and International markets. Since its introduction, the 5ESS line of switches has grown tremendously in both size and range of applications. Moreover, along with the evolution in functionality and size of the switch has come an ongoing improvement in its performance.
One way that the performance of the 5ESS series of switches has been improved is through an upgrade of the computer system that comprises the administrative module (“AM”) utilized by the switch. A typical 5ESS switch includes an AM, a communications module (“CM”) and one or more switching modules (“SMs”). The SMs, which perform about 95% of the call processing work at the switch, contain the line interfaces to voice/data end users and trunk interfaces to other elements of a telecommunications network.
The CM is the hub through which messages flow between the components of the switch and may perform some operations, administration, and management (“OA&M”) functions. The AM acts as the centralized control for OA&M and is the point of interface for craft control and external Operational Support Systems (“OSSs”), such as billing. Some models of the 5ESS switch utilize the LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES 3B20D (duplex) computer system as the main processor for the AM.
In order to upgrade the AM in models of the 5ESS utilizing the LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES 3B20D computer system, the AM is typically replaced with an upgraded AM computer system. Specifically, the downlevel 3B20D is typically replaced with a LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES 3B21D computer system. The 3B21D is a high-speed, high-reliability, fault-tolerant, duplex computer, and is bit-compatible with the 3B20D. The hardware of the 3B21D contains self-checking and error-correction circuitry. The software of the 3B21D detects faulty processes and equipment, reconfigures or reinitializes the system, and diagnoses and identifies faulty equipment.
In order to reduce the amount of switch down time when replacing a downlevel AM computer system with an upgraded AM computer system at a functioning switch site, the upgraded AM computer system must be configured for use at the site prior to physically connecting the upgraded AM computer system to the other components of the switch. Configuring an upgraded AM computer system typically involves configuring the upgraded AM to recognize attached teletype (“TTY”) and synchronous datalink (“SDL”) devices, configuring “growth” input/output processors (“IOPs”) installed in the upgraded AM computer system, configuring growth moving head disks (“MHDs”), and configuring the AM for data communication over one or more external networks. Previous methods for configuring an upgraded AM computer system require these tasks to be performed manually. However, manual configuration of an upgraded AM computer system can cause a number of serious problems.
The main drawback with manually configuring an upgraded AM computer system is that there is a high probability of errors being introduced into the configuration of the upgraded AM computer system as a result of human mistake. If the configuration is incorrect when the AM computer system is connected to the switch, the switch may not function properly, thereby causing expensive switch down time. Moreover, manually configuring an upgraded computer system may literally take days to complete. This greatly increases the cost of installing the upgraded AM computer system and delays the time when the upgraded AM can be utilized by the switch.
Therefore, in light of the above, there is a need for an improved method of configuring an upgraded AM computer system that reduces the amount of manual configuration required to configure the upgraded AM for use at an existing switch site and that decreases the possibility of configuration errors. Moreover, there is a need for an improved method of configuring an upgraded AM computer system that reduces the amount of time required to configure an upgraded AM computer system.